National Water Safety Awareness Week begins on Monday 18th June – it’s a reminder to us all of how vital it is that we make water safety a bigger part of the national conversation. This campaign strives to spur us all to be more aware of the very real and often unseen dangers that water poses but if we can be more conscious about water safety, together we really can bring the number of drownings in Ireland down.

The Lifeguard Commission will be running a Pool Lifeguard Tutors course in The Curragh Camp on the weekend on 19th/20th May 2018. If you are interested in attending please send the following details to sligowsac@gmail.com by Friday 4th May. The approximate course details are €160 plus accommodation.

1. Applicant’s Name and Address:

2. Applicant’s Aquatic/Lifeguard Qualifications:

3. Contact email address:

4. Contact mobile number:

5. Confirmation that he/she will be available to attend on the weekend of 19th & 20th May, 2018

To be eligible for this course, candidates should hold (or have held) an IWS National Pool Lifeguard Award. However, if the candidate has not held this award, please let me know and I will provide the list of questions from the Lifeguard Manual that they must complete before the start of the course.

As places are limited, not all applicants will be successful. The Lifeguard Commission will review each application and inform those who are successful directly.

Sligo Water Safety and Sligo Surf Lifesaving Club were delighted to host the regional Surf Lifesaving championships in Enniscrone on Saturday August 12th 2017. Nippers (aged 8-14) from Mayo, Donegal, Sligo and Galway took part in the various land and sea events. Well done everyone who took part and helped out with marshalling and time-keeping. A great day was had by all.

The Irish Water Safety Surf Lifesaving National Stillwater Nipper competition took place on the 22nd April 2017 at the Sports Arena in University of Limerick with teams and individual competitors, aged 8-14 years, travelling from various clubs throughout the country, including Sligo Surf lifesaving club. The national event saw the very best of competitors, having qualified from regional events, test their surf lifesaving skills and abilities against one another in a highly enjoyable and competitive manner. Competitors competed in a variety of events designed to test the specific skillsets required to be a surf lifesaver including underwater obstacle courses, underwater races, rescue and relay events.

Sligo were well represented with 20 nippers travelling having qualified from the Connacht/ Ulster Surflifesaving Regional Stillwater competition hosted by Sligo Water Safety in March. All competitors did their club and county proud, delivering strong performances with a number of top 10 and medal finishes.

With the end of the Stillwater Season the focus now turns towards the upcoming Openwater Season with the Surflifesavers taking to the beach and ocean over the summer months.

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